What Happens to a Magazine Deferred?

Anyone remember Wigwag? I think I still have the first issue somewhere.

Jenny, you chose wisely. And I'm so glad that there is still someone out there who uses the word "nugatory."

A couple of years ago - a friend of mine bought me a gift subscription to a publication called "Funny Times" - Headlines from a few articles in a recent issue -- "Post-Holiday Weight Gain" -- "My Short-Lived Career As A Bingo Announcer" - "The Exploding Underwear Drawer" - "Second Grader Forgets To Capitalize God's Name" - It has numerous cartoons as well -- Such as a man about to read to his young daughter in bed with her Teddy Bear - as the daughter says - "This isn't one of those trendy modern adaptations is it?" -- Or - A man sitting at a bar sipping a drink, while thinking to himself -- "Hmmm... This Vodka Tastes an Awful Lot Like I'm Not Going In To Work Tomorrow" -- And - the irony is that earlier today - before reading this article - I received an offer in the mail to renew my subscription - Maybe that's a sign...

Like They Phoenix, better remembered.

With thirty seven years between issues, perhaps the name should be changed to American Hibernator. One plus, however: As a subscriber, at least I wouldn’t wind up with a falling pile of them in the back hallway, some unread, like my New Yorkers.

I respect you as an intersectional activist and a writer, but your title is offensive. Leave Langston Hughes out of this.

Dear Ms Boylan, thanks for the laughs -- as others state here, much needed in these dark times. Your description of your (shortlived) time at the American Bystander is hilarious. The magazine's history belongs in the category of, 'there is a time and place for everything'. In dark times stories about the funnier absurdities of life remind us that prople at their best are fun, and funny, and eccentric, and creative.

I should add that I had opportunity to meet Jenny ... and Sam and Roz and others at that gathering last year. Being a part of American Bystander is a thrill and a lot of laughs. The idea of informally meeting some of the people behind a crowdfunded humor magazine in a restaurant, all of us working remotely instead of some big office building, is another benefit of this dream deferred in our digital times.

Out of curiosity, I entered the $2/copy 1982 price into an inflation calculator to get a 2018 price of $5.25, more than the $5/copy PDF price today. Well done in keeping inflation at bay!

Wow, this sounds like just what we need right now. -- PS.. the person who posted below me (@The Observer) started a sentence with the word, "Sad." That makes me a little nauseous and suspicious. Good luck! I'll subscribe.

Is this an opinion piece or an advertisement?

As a frequent contributor to the miracle that is The American Bystander I am delighted to have it acknowledged, praised and garlanded with loopy laurels by the dour Gray Lady herself. Well deserved. The first rate comic talent gathered by Mr. Gerber is a testament not only to his power as a ...snake charmer, convincer and -dare I say it- passionate cheerleader for humor in print, but the desperate need for a smart and snarky laugh in these cataclysmic times. Suffice it to say, if you value brilliance, wit, and a sublime read, Subscribe or I WILL SHOOT THIS PUPPY! My lavishly illustrated essay Enormous Blonde Herring Scented Nauseatingly Fair Minded Nymphomaniacs in Clogs is there for the taking, and will also save you a disastrous and possibly dangerous trip to Sweden. But only if you SUBSCRIBE.

Sales through sites like Patreon might well succeed for publications which so politicized themselves that the risk of printing paper copies to be sold at newsstands became too great, like once-trusted news titles like Time or Newsweek. The icky part of printing up a bunch of magazines is that you have self-limited sales to only half the readers by labeling your product as anti-conservative. (Sad how those were the people who had the most disposable cash, ain't it?) But good luck with your millennial version of The New Yorker.

I was an avid National Lampoon reader in my high (emphasis on "high") school years. Still have the NatLamp10th Anniversary book. I envy the fact you met and interacted with so many of the greats. Another great article Jenny, thanks for the memories!

Nothing like casually discussing how prevalent cocaine use was (past tense, of course) in the entertainment industry, while we’re simultaneously in the midst of a national emergency over our self-inflicted drug war. If I didn’t have such an enormous hole in my septum, I suspect I’d smell hypocrisy.

“Well, you’re lucky,” he replied, with a smile. “He doesn’t catch everybody.” Sadly, Belushi never caught himself.

This is one reason I like reading the NY Times: I sometimes come across a word in the English language I'm quite certain I've never seen before, much less know the meaning of -- in this case "nugatory." Learn something new every day...

When I saw that one of the feature articles on the cover of “The American Bystander” was “High Ideals & Common Sense” I knew even before I saw the date that it couldn’t be from the present era.

It is an example of the grim coursening of the American people, starting with Reagan's ascension to power (in ground first tilled by Nixon). I remember the first issue of the American Bystander & thought, "Ah, finally a magazine to restore the outstanding tradition of Paul Krasner's 'The Realist," but, alas, the American coarsening & steady drift to the right meant we had lost our ability to appreciate wit & satire. When you have an issue you will not tolerate humor about, you have found an issue that you are too ideologically bound to. In stand-up, the left continued to produce devastatingly funny social comedians like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Eddie Murphy, and many more, but that could never fill the same niche that the Realist had filled (Realist archives are still on the web ). Meanwhile, in contrast, the Right only produced two comedians of note. Dennis Miller, who did a 180 when his popularity never really took hold on the left, preferring to be a big frog in a small mud puddle, rapidly sank into vitriol, petty meanness, & (most importantly) ceased to be funny. P. J. O'Rourke has been the most consistently funny, a lone beacon on the right. He also took shots at his own side, "The Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller, & get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, & then get elected and prove it."

Anyone know what happened to SPY magazine? In the 1980s and 90s, also a laugh riot.

The intricate and subtle satire on each of the magazine covers alone is worth the price of the magazine. Brilliant and equally hilarious cover illustrations. Bravo to the graphic artists and the many writers of "American Bystander".

Most of the most influential comedians today are in politics but nobody's laughing since the joke's on us.

Thanks for finishing the Belushi story, and with a belly laugh. Looking forward to checking out The American Bystander for spiritual refreshment.

Ms. Boylan, I look forward to, and take inspiration from, everything you write. Thank you for being you and sharing.

Just signed up on the link you provided. Thanks! I need to laugh more.

"Mr. McConnachie’s work “is well loved, here on earth and on his home planet.” Well, that line grabbed me. I could not stop reading this column. I was laughing and lamenting about the brilliant yet tragic days of John Belushi and frankly, the entire article. I think if ever there was the perfect time for this magazine, it's right now because the American public is in desperate need of laughter and honesty. The fact that this magazine is a beautiful blend of "The Onion" and a "grown-up Lampoon" makes it all the more appealing. I am sad and embarrassed to state that until Ms. Finney Boylan's column appeared, I never heard of the "American Bystander". However, that will change pronto. I think this magazine has a fan, a loyal fan before I even have a copy in my hands. Cannot wait to be entertained, enlightened, and energized. If there's one thing I am in great need of is laughter and I think "Bystander" will truly help remedy that situation.

''...certain that this would change the world.'' - Sometimes it takes only a few dedicated and passionate people to do just that. They might not succeed, but try, try again, and never give up. Just as it is for this particular magazine, it is the same for our politics. (in particular Progressive politics) It takes only a few leaders to be dedicated, passionate, and to never give up. It also takes a critical mass of followers to sustain. We might indeed have ourselves a ball game.